About Central Park (Manhattan, N.Y. City), and a question as to food scarcity. Any comments on this topic appreciated, to the list if deemed appropriate, or off-list directed to me alone.
Although it may get a bit esoteric to 'non-regulars' of the place about Central Park (and even more specifically one section of the park or more so the Ramble), what's interesting in Harry Maas' report (earlier today) & his comments is that that was, in great part, exactly what a couple of other experienced birders that cover the Ramble & its environs made comments on, indeed it echoes most specifically that in birding in a couple of particular locations in that park the birds, or at least most migrant insectivores among the birds, have been found in flocks (where any flock at all has been seen) and recently (this "fall" season) in short order, said flock mainly moves on not to be re-found. I have also noticed this to greater extent than usual in much of the north end of the park this season, with activity making it appear that one might expect birds to stay in a particular section (at least, if not in the specific location) and not move out in such seeming totality, while in re- visiting an area it has been more often that activity levels have dropped off to little or no migrant activity. The only exceptions and even they haven't been a guarantee by any means, have been visiting the immediate vicinity of flowing water, mainly 3 areas (and just 2 regularly visited by many birders, this or almost any season): the Pond and it's waterfall area, near Central Park South and up from "Sixth Ave." (aka Avenue of the Americas: only to out-of-towners), the Gill in the Ramble (of which the Azalea Pond is a part), and the Loch (in the area also known as the "ravine") within the park's north end, with perhaps lesser concentrations at times at areas near the Lake, near the Pool, at Tanner's Spring (which has seemed terriibly "slow" so far this season) and at the small stream flowing into the lake from just north of West 77th Street. In these areas, I have sometimes (but by no means always) found some activity in more hours during the day, most often (as could be expected at bird bathing-drinking sites) on sunnier, warmer days. The trees and shrubs surrounding such waters are often where the birds have been and not simply at the water, as in bathing & drinking activities. One thing that a great many birders have mentioned is whether the insectivores are finding enough prey items to sustain feeding in numbers, esp. in flocks, and in discrete areas, for any length of time; some birders believing that these birds are having to move on by force to find enough to eat, esp. just after arrival on migration. If this is so, it's unusual - more often there are places which provide feeding for many birds over long periods, although there are always (or have been) what we often call "hot-spots" which of course, are really mainly particular areas which whether on a very short-term or somewhat longer term produce a great many insects and perhaps, some fruits in the case of those birds that eat much fruit or imbibe of its nectar (a number of small birds do that as well as seeking insects including some warblers, many flycatchers, & certainly vireos, & others), but protein in the form of (more properly, small invertebrates, and not just "insects") is the driver, the most important source of energy and build-up of fat reserves, for a great many birds, not just passerine species. Are we seeing a lot of overly hungry birds - and if so is it a result of local (mild, but extended) drought that we had until the very recent rains here, or is there another situation ongoing this fall? Since I like to observe insect life as well as birds, I can't say that I've noticed any crash of certain insects in Central Park - I would ask if there have been regular field observations from, among others, the informal group who do moth-watching in the park, as that group of insects actually may provide a great many prey items to migrants in the form of the moth in caterpillar form. There has also been some comment from birders region- wide as to lower than average numbers of certain (usually common) biting insects in some areas, including boreal areas in northern realms, and (if this is actually the case) whether this points to a generalized lack of feeding on many typical prey items for birds of many kinds. The variety and profundity of insect life, and more generally of smaller invertebrate life, is typically such that insectivores may usually find alternative food (prey) items without great difficulty, so if it's so that there is a general lack of these food or prey items it may be that birds, including many migrants, are having a harder time than is usual. Any rapid moving-on by migrants at this season is somewhat unusual as the fall migration is generally more protracted with birds in less of a "hurry" and able & willing to spend some days (or longer) refueling & resting on their southbound journeys. If birds in a given area are not finding enough to eat, however, then move on they must & there would be little dallying, even in the "urban oases" or green spaces among the concrete & steel jungle also known as megalopiolis... in this case, greater New York City. Harry M. may not have meant all this to be brought up, but as an experienced and enthusiastic observer he also has a point - although In don't know if the above was part of his intended point. I don't wish to be a pessimist either but there also seems to be a trend of not having major local (and even less so, regional) fall-outs (or large "waves") of migrants in the ways seen even just a decade ago, without some extenuating weather circumstance. It also is a question I have had as to whether the urban park generally, and specifically Central Park, has seen a reduction in overall numbers of migrants for reasons particular to the park[s] and its surroundings as well as to the larger question of overall regional and even world-wide bird populations. So (my opinion) it seems there may be multiple goings on, of local (and perhaps very local) food shortages, and also much broader issues. As to temporal observations of birds, migrants or otherwise, I've typically found that one may work much harder to find all that's been seen in the first hour of daylight than what can be gleaned looking an hour or more later on. That's sometimes the source of the old "you should've been here 5 minutes ago" etc. which is all too familiar to all birders everywhere - although in worst-case scenario it refers, as we all can relate, to a particular bird or birds that may be rare &/or a highly-desired sighting! (Harry, you sure got me going there, and to him and all of us I hope we'll have some more satisfying and longer-lasting migrant activity to observe in Central Park & in general.) I would also add that a number of species I saw (and have seen) are 'singletons' or in very low numbers, while the typically-commoner species have been moderately numerous at times. Further, I've been in some particular locations that in past fall seasons have been quite good at some times of day, and this season so far have had so few (or no) migrant sightings that I fairly quickly moved on, to try other locations in the park - this seems to be happening more & more, such that it's become rarer to find a good "hot-spot": that maintains that appellation. I hope that changes - we will see. I have any number of specific sites that I would call "barometers" for migrants, which is to say that if they are very active normally it indicates a good migration stop-over is or recently was in progress. This season there have only been a couple of fairly busy days with passerines, but there is a lot of the fall land-bird migration to go! At the same time and as I've stressed in any number of posts to this list, many are the species which for the most part are already mainly done with their migration through the northeast. A few species have for the most part already arrived at their wintering grounds - an example is Cerulean Warbler, not seen much anyhow in fall migration hereabouts, and mostly all gone. (A few will turn up in September, but not in any number in any northeastern location). Incidentally while at the "maintenance field" this morning (and not at the crack of dawn!) I continually glanced about to see if any other birders were about but saw none at that time. The one birder I saw literally moments later in the Ramble may have headed there but I don't know what luck he may have had. (It was he mentioned the rush, and sudden departure, of most migrants in Strawberry Fields this morning - and indeed when I visited that park location soon afterwards I was unable to turn up much more than the most common of migrants, rather than the 15 warbler species that birder noted in a short time on this Friday a.m. at that (typically good in early morning) location: very consistent with Harry Maas' lament, it would seem. Herewith the exact dozen species of warbler just at the Ramble's maintenance field (which by any logic is a part of the Ramble) and their approximate numbers if more than singletons (in that location), seen in a rather brief time at that one location, for about : Blue-winged Warbler (1) Nashville Warbler (1) Northern Parula (1) Chestnut-sided Warbler (2) Magnolia Warbler (6) Black-throated Green Warbler (1adult female) Blackburnian Warbler (1 adult female) Black-and-white Warbler (3) American Redstart (6+) Ovenbird (1) Common Yellowthroat (2, poss. more) Canada Warbler (2) Good birding, Tom Fiore, Manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
